"Drinking early in the night?" Franco said as he sat beside Nick that night in the bar at Hard Rock Cafe's mezzanine --- a limited engagement was held for the Asian tour organizers for Backstreet, sponsors, lucky fans who won on a local radio station contest and the Backstreet Boys. Franco was in his black V-neck shirt and cream low waist jeans.
"Hey, 'Witty Smith'! What's up?" Nick greeted as he took off his glasses --- glasses that's not used really for better eyesight but for a look that's natty enough to match with his cream long sleeved polo draped with a black suit.
"I'm doin' good, I'm feeling cool in my outfit. I'm just still wondering, Howie has his polo opened to bear his big turso and you are still wearing white shirt under your sleek long sleeves there" Franco said as he looked at the bottle Nick's holding, "You're love struck, aren't you?"
"First, I'm fine, this is just a bottle of shandy I'm not an alcohol drinker like you and the rest of the Backstreet's still piggin' out in the food that's served downstairs though the lights was turned down and disco music is already playing. Second, your question in the press conference is not that challenging and third --- pardon me? How did it occurred to your mind?"
"You don't have to shoot the video here. Just because I told you on a letter that I can introduce to you a cool girl, you're counting on it?" Franco grunted
"That's not it" Nick shrugged his head
"Don't deny it. AJ already told me that you suggested to be here because of heart matters"
"He did?" Nick squinted to Franco "...well, you don't understand and you have no idea with what he might have said to you"
"What do you think you're looking forward to? You're looking for a girl? A girlfriend would eat up your career points by eating up your time with the rest of the gang. Having a girlfriend is having commitment, little bro!"
"Franco, we are not some sort of a mutated creatures on earth, we're also humans. We get to feel this. Like I'm a little ... Gee, man! Whenever I sing the songs we have, I just felt ... lonely" Nick related with eyes directed to the bottle he's drinking
"Lonely is a strong word, man." Franco mumbled dreadfully "It means you're in solitude. Don't say this to the group, man, or they'll feel offended by this word"
"He already did --- to me and boy, it really hurts" Brian stood at the back of Franco as he intruded in the conversation with his closed fist stumping his chest, "Hey pal! What's up!" He then gave a strong tap on the shoulder to Franco.
"Feelin' great, man. But your friend's not" Franco answered
"I know"
"Hey, guys, I am feeling great! Don't listen to him" Nick intruded "Listen, just give me a timing when to dance there and you bet I am ready to party"
"Whew, I almost forgot we're going to perform! I'm just starting to chill down here" Brian interrupted and stabbed the dance floor with his thumb "How about dancin' now guys so we'll ..."
"No way, man" Kevin started to speak as he heard Brian sighed "The show will start any moment from now and you don't wanna pull attention to you before a show, right?"
The music in the background suddenly shifted to swing and revival songs like "Dance with Me" in the dance floor. The dance floor cleared up with three pairs left on the dance floor.
A wide grin was in Nick's face at that moment and he quickly finished his bottle of shandy. He then raised his head and gazed around. His eyes then stopped to a girl sitting alone in a table near the grails overlooking the dance floor. He pulled and whispered to Brian still having his eyes locked to the girl.
"See that girl wearing white v-neck sleeveless shirt near the grails?"
Brian then shifted his head to see the area near the grails, "Aha ..."
"Do you see her feeling alone there looking at the dance floor?"
"Aha..."
"She needs company, right?"
"No way, man. You're not going to do it"
"Well, what can I do? I'm getting ready for my swing, anyway. Hang on!" Nick stopped whispering to Brian, stood up from his stool, and started to walk. He turned back to the company he came from, "Excuse me for a while, guys"
"What did he told you?" Franco asked Brian with a curious face
"Just when we were talking about not checking out the dance floor" Brian shrugged his head before he could explain "Do you see that girl sitting alone near the grails? Nick's gonna dance with her with his famous swing"
Franco's expression grimaced "Famous swing?"
"It's his third time to do it in a place like this. He said he is rehearsing for something" Kevin construed
"But do you know what I think? He's just putting up a good mood on an oldie atmosphere" Brian joked.
Kevin turned his heads to the area.
"Great! She fits the criteria! Long black hair, perfect teeth, fair complexion, she got cute dimples --- pretty, as anybody might suppose to believe" Kevin commented
Franco turned his head to the same direction after he heard Kevin's comment
"That girl? I know her! She hates blondes. Pull back Nick here because she'll just be a surprise for him!" Franco panicked
"What are you trying to pull off here, man! Nick and I ain't got a chance with this cutie? And what do you mean she'll be a surprise for Nick?" Brian said
"That's confusing man! What's going on?" Kevin added
"There's more to it," Franco said, "Her name is Kathy, she's a stock broker and she has this intimate relationship with our boss in the marketing department. She's my cousin and she really hates blondes like Nick"
Kevin slapped his two hands in his forehead and said, "I still didn't get it. Is there something wrong with the sequence of your statement or is it just the situation?"
"Well, whatever you mean there Franco, you can't pull him back now. Nobody can really stop him do his swing except one person" Brian said shrugging his head. He then stared to his cousin beside him and grinned in his silliest
"Okay, okay. I'll just finish my drink, if you don't mind?" Kevin quipped
Kathy's night really wasn't that pleasant. She was expecting a dance party as she read the invitation with her.
But all that came to her is a drinking party.
She was left alone by her cousin and her boyfriend in the lifeless mezzanine, with her boyfriend saying to her "Stay here, honey. I have to talk to some old friends". 'What's new?' she then slapped the invitation that's in the table as she has that thought to herself about her boyfriend.
She understood on the other side her cousin who misses his favorite cool friends for more than a year now and she would not want to interrupt the boy talk that could have had in them.
She just, then, entertained herself with few glasses of flavored Margaritas --- a perfect drink for being alone and seeing the dance floor that's on her view if she looked down inviting her with a song from her favorite artist.
Nick took a while before he could arrive in the place where Kathy's sitting. He took a deep breath and shook his whole body as a warm up. He slowly advance closer to Kathy and eventually he sat in front of her in her small table.
"Nice song for a disco huh" Nick pointed at the dance floor
"Yes of course. They made it quite fast this time," she turned her head then to the guy who just have interrupted her thoughts "Look, pal, I am quite having a good time being alone here and ... you look like ...like..." Geez, what's this guy's name? she said at the back of her mind
"Yes, I am Nick" Nick concluded Kathy's sentence who's in the meantime freezed "Well, I'm just hoping I could have this dance with you"
"Ah ..." 'Kathy, you have to think of something!' she said to the back of her mind, "You have a show at 9 p.m. and it's 8:30. You're not going to put on a show as early as now, right?"
"Well, watch me du it!" Nick stood up and held Kathy's right hand, "Come on! I'm sure we won't be singing a swingin' beat tonight so now's the best time to swing"
Kathy ran out of excuse to tell Nick though she really wanted to dance so she then agree and got off the table and followed Nick towards the stairs. As soon as they were near the dance floor, he passed by the DJ's first to request for a couple of swinging beats he's familiar with then he escorted her to the dance floor. As they took off to their first steps, Nick slowly gives off a smile in his face as he felt that the girl he's dancing to is not new to do the swing. But he felt...
"Your hand's so cold. Are you nervous about this? Please don't be nervous because of me" Nick muttered to the girl as he draw her body close to his
"No, I'm not nervous because you're ... Nick. I'm nervous because it's my first time to dance swing with a six-footer guy"
"It's my first time too" Nick cackled a little.
"To dance with a girl five inches shorter than you?" Kathy answered with sarcasm
"No, not that. Maybe I'll tell you some other time ... what's your name?"
"Kathy"
"The name's familiar ... What made you come here? Are you a fan or someone ..."
"Well, I am not a fan" Kathy rolled eyes and continued "though I am familiar with you because my cousin lets me study your dance steps in a video of your concert. I taught him few of the steps"
"So, you're really a dancer"
"Well, it's a hobby of mine, not a profession"
"Do you want the video autographed by the group? I can easily arrange that with us"
"No, thanks. I don't have it with me"
After the conversation, more seventies' hits were played by the DJ
"Don't tell me you really came here to dance few of our steps, huh"
"Well, it's somewhat like that. My cousin convinced my boyfriend to let me join him here so I can go see more new steps from you"
"Your boyfriend?" Nick stopped the next step for a while in shock, "Where is he? Is he here? I didn't saw him with you when I asked you to dance, right?"
"Yes, he's here and he's always going around in a party ...without me so you really didn't, actually, saw him. He is right over there having a talk with one of the group. Who's that guy again in colored glasses? I think it's AJ there, my cousin's favorite" she pointed on the area near the boufet tables.
Nick turned his head towards where Kathy's pointing. He saw AJ and Mr. Pearlman talking to Franco's boss, David. AJ is donned with the same style of clothes but more stylish with his glasses shaded with orange and only a few bottons covered his chest filled with three types of necklace.
"David's your boyfriend? You are Franco's cousin? You're Da- ... Dana Katherine Anderson?" Nick was into more shock as he recognized that he really supposed to meet this girl --- but not this early.
"Yes, I think you've known me before more than I can imagine! What else did Franco said to you about me?"
"Other things that a person could share to his very close friend, I guess."
"Hey Nick! Time to prepare, buddy!" Kevin said after tapping Nick in the shoulder, "Hi Kathy!"
"I guess our dance was cut short, huh" Nick breathed out in relief, "Well I want to say many more things so maybe I'll just visit you. It was pleasure dancing with you"
Kathy just nodded hanging with her is a question visit me?
Kevin, in the mean while, pulled Nick away from the dance floor.
Nick feels like he's in between heaven and hell as he waved to Kathy on his way out of the dance floor.
He never felt that good dancing with her, yet he's not prepared to see the "virtual Dana" that he knows He then turned to Kevin who's face was showing curiosity.
"Well?" Kevin asked, "You've just danced with David's girl!"
"As if I knew of that she's with somebody. I mean she's been left behind the whole night" Nick continued walking towards the office room. He desisted walking and held Kevin in the shoulders.
"Kev, did you know it was her?" Nick asked
Kevin's face changed from a cool face to a skeptic face "What are you saying 'it's her'? Are you saying she's Dana? No way, man! Franco said it's Kathy"
"Yes, she is Dana ..."
"I don't seem to follow, man"
"Dana Katherine Anderson. Half American, half Filipino. Left by her father in her early adolescence for his home in Atlanta and left by her mother when she's 18 and now, she lives alone with Franco and oh well, inspite of all, she's financially stable"
"Hey, man, listen to you. I mean, what are you? Are you one of the FEDs in disguise? You're starting to talk seriously ... you can't be serious!"
Kevin was agitated with everything as he paused to breathe in and out, looked back at Dana ...or Kathy ... then he shifted back his head to face Nick ... he's nodding his head as if relating to him that he's serious.
"Nick, Franco introduced her to me as soon as both of you stepped in the dance floor. You should have asked Franco first" Kevin asked back "At least you could have been aware that Kathy's around and it's... her"
Both paused and analyzed what the older one advice --- it was nonsense.
"Well, the elements of surprise is proven sweet this time. I think she likes me. I didn't think it will be like this because I know ..."
"She hates blondes!" Kevin berated to Nick "It just irritates her to be going out with a blonde, to be ..."
"Dancing with her? She couldn't be the paranoid type like you think she is. Are you just trying to imply that she would have been more willing to dance with you?" Nick jerked his way to the changing room
"No way, man! You know she's not my type ... and I think you should start doing what you had to do, bro, because your time is limited here" he shouted back to Nick
"Not now. David's around" Nick muttered
David is a man whom fits the adjective "gorgeous". His cropped dark hair was neatly brushed and his black turtle neck long sleeves and slightly faded denims perfectly showed off his muscular body.
He's six feet tall --- tall enough to be noticed by everybody. As if he was in competition with their guests' muscular bod.
David's deep brown eyes were focused on one person at that moment. A young lady who's a few meters away from him.
"You sure got an almost perfect babe" AJ said pulling down his glasses to have his eyes on Kathy.
"There's just one problem --- she loves dancing and the only dance steps I know are basic ballroom" David then left his drinking glass on a nearby table, "Excuse me"
David left AJ in that place along with their mentor Mr. Pearlman and went to Kathy who's heading for the stairs.
"Kathy, that was..."
"Naughty of me to do that without permission from you and that showing off is not done in a business meet --- Dave, this is not a business meet, this is a dance party!" Kathy said with conviction
"That's not what I am about to say. I just wanted for me to have the first dance in your evening before anyone else"
"The dancin' party is about to close, Dave. The Backstreet's performance is soon to hold and five hours from now you're leaving for Singapore and you won't be here this coming Valentine's and ..."
"Whoah, wait a second. What's your point? You're shifting topics again"
"My point is I should be learning..." Kathy paused as she felt guilty again as she look in his eyes, "Never mind ... I mean, I'm sorry. Let's not have this argument"
"Sorry too, love" David then stood behind her and put his arms around her and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek, "I mean, it's just going to be for seven days then I'll be back. Will you miss me?"
"Well," Kathy said hanging her answer and she closed her eyes as her body was bombarded with disgruntlement.